This disclosure relates to interconnect circuits for electrically connecting devices, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs). More specifically, the disclosure relates to interconnect circuits that provide combined thermal and electrical energy transfer within these circuits and provide thermal management to the devices.
During operation of various electrical and electronic devices, these devices may generate (or consume) thermal energy. For example, a portion of electrical energy consumed by a device may be converted into thermal energy during operation of the device. This electrical-to-thermal energy conversion depends on the device efficiency. While generation (or consumption) of thermal energy in closely packed circuits is often not desirable, it is an inherent characteristic of many devices. Some examples of conventional electronic circuits include, but are not limited to, printed circuit boards (PCBs), flexible printed circuits (FPCs) and flexible flat cables (FFCs). Generally, these circuits are designed with a high packing density of devices, which may interfere with thermal management. At the same time, many devices have limited operating temperature ranges, outside of which their performance degrades, either temporarily or permanently. Various heat transfer features, such as heat sinks, heat spreaders, coolers, heat exchangers, heat pipes and fans, may be added to circuits to facilitate their thermal management. However, many of these heat transfer features are difficult to integrate into compact circuits. Furthermore, these heat transfer features add to the complexity, size, and weight of the overall system. Finally, many of these heat transfer features remain somewhat thermally isolated from devices by other components, such as insulators and adhesives, which diminishes the effectives of the heat transfer features.